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Short-Sightedness (Myopia): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Short-sightedness (myopia) is a common refractive error in which distant objects appear blurry. It occurs when the eye focuses light in front of the retina instead of directly on it.

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Things worth knowing about "Short-sightedness"

Short-sightedness (myopia) is a common refractive error in which distant objects appear blurry. It occurs when the eye focuses light in front of the retina instead of directly on it.

What Is Short-Sightedness?

Short-sightedness, medically known as myopia, is one of the most common vision disorders worldwide. People with myopia can see nearby objects clearly, but objects at a distance appear blurred or out of focus. The condition most often develops during childhood or adolescence and may progress until early adulthood.

Causes

Myopia occurs when the eye has too much refractive power or the eyeball is too long from front to back. As a result, light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it, causing blurred distance vision.

Genetics: Children of myopic parents have a significantly higher risk of developing myopia themselves.
Environmental factors: Prolonged near-work activities such as reading, writing, or screen use, combined with insufficient time spent outdoors, are considered major risk factors.
Axial length: An abnormally long eyeball is the most common anatomical cause of myopia.
Corneal or lens curvature: Excessive curvature of these structures increases the refractive power of the eye.

Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms of short-sightedness include:

Blurred vision when looking at distant objects (e.g., blackboards, road signs, faces)
Squinting in an attempt to see clearly in the distance
Headaches caused by eye strain
Eye fatigue (asthenopia)
Difficulty driving, especially at night

Diagnosis

Short-sightedness is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The following examinations are used:

Visual acuity test: Measurement of sharpness of vision using eye charts (e.g., the Snellen chart).
Refraction assessment: Objective or subjective measurement of the refractive error in diopters (D).
Slit-lamp examination: Assessment of the anterior segment of the eye.
Fundoscopy: Examination of the back of the eye to rule out associated conditions.

Treatment

Short-sightedness is highly manageable. The main treatment options include:

Corrective Lenses

Glasses: Concave (diverging) lenses compensate for the excess refractive power of the eye and are the most common and safest correction method.
Contact lenses: Soft or rigid lenses worn directly on the eye provide reliable vision correction for everyday use.

Surgical Procedures

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis): A laser procedure that permanently reshapes the cornea to correct the refractive error.
PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy): A laser technique in which the surface of the cornea is reshaped.
Phakic intraocular lenses (pIOL): An artificial lens is implanted in addition to the natural lens, suitable for high degrees of myopia.

Myopia Control in Children

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K): Specially designed rigid contact lenses worn overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea and slow myopia progression.
Low-dose atropine eye drops: Studies show that low-concentration atropine drops can reduce the rate of myopia progression in children.
Time outdoors: Research consistently shows that spending more time outdoors reduces the risk and progression of myopia in children.

References

World Health Organization (WHO): World Report on Vision. Geneva, 2019.
Flitcroft DI et al.: IMI - Defining and Classifying Myopia: A Proposed Set of Standards for Clinical and Epidemiologic Studies. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2019.
Holden BA et al.: Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology, 2016.

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